How to collect vinyl toys

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Comment by MLina M on October 24, 2008 at 2:36pm

I've always had Marvel action figure toys but then I started serious collecting with the vinyl toys. First it starts out as a cute novelty that you see somewhere and you buy one. Then as I learned about the culture I started to be more selective about what I was buying. I am fortunate enough to live by a few good toy stores. Some people here in the USA start out only buying Kidrobot but then find out that there are other toy stores with different brands. People overseas have a much better selection since the toys are made and sold mostly in Asia, the prices are usually lower for them too. I figured out that there is a process to building a good collection; you don’t just buy random toys. After deciding if I was going to do it for the art or for the value I started to do research. Its best to start with reading the web, toy magazines and books then choosing what artists have a style I like and then the collector value of their toys, artwork and collaborations. I tend to dislike the overly cute stuff so I go for more of an urban art look or a mean and shocking toy. My current favorites are the Gloomy Bear brand, Bearbricks, Huck Gee, Kozik and sometimes Kaws. I like the larger pieces but the small ones are more affordable and still gain value over time. If I find a new favorite I may get 3 pieces and stop, but for artists I like I try to get as many of their pieces to continue building my collection of their work. If a toy release has a really big hype I may buy a few just for collector value and use them to trade up to get toys I’ve been looking for. If I like the toy I buy two if possible for trading purposes. When you learn to trade and experience it, you learn who is a reseller and who the real collectors are. Collectors are more fun to deal with and are passionate about toys but resellers drive the price up and aren’t usually a favorite of the artists. The artists rather have the collectors buy their art and limit the sales so resellers don’t wipe out the stock only to resell it the next day for more money. Im happy with my collection and every month I learn more about toys and upcoming artists. I think it goes hand in hand with collecting sneakers and exclusive clothing. Some sneakers even come with toys nowadays. It’s definitely okay to be an adult and collect toys or in better terms "urban vinyl art" and display it the same way people display collectible glassware and stuff. But whatever you do don’t call them dolls!